The present invention relates to a buckle, preferably a metal buckle, for fastening opposing ends of an object encircling strap. Metal buckles, as opposed to buckles made of other materials, such as plastic, are characterized by desirable properties, such as high tensile strength, high and low temperature resistance, abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance, and radiation resistance. A variety of buckles, such as Panduit® Pan-Steel® buckles and Band-It® Ear-Lokt buckles, are known. The Panduit® Pan-Steel® buckles are related to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,866,817, 7,171,729, and 7,392,570, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.
While known buckles provide desirable characteristics for certain applications, they still have many drawbacks and are capable of improvement.